THE PEACE-TS PURPOSE AND PROSPECTS.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 219, 25 November 1859, Page 3

THE PEACE-TS PURPOSE AND PROSPECTS.

: (From the Spectator 1.) Canning boasted that in South America England had called for a new world to redress the balance of the old ; Napoleon the Third seems to challenge the right of saying with greater truth that he has called forth new confederacy in the South to redress the balance of the older oue further north. -•-..•'

Many Liberals in this country raise an outcry that Italy has been "sold." Others exclaim that the " conspiracy " against Austria has succeeded by a conspiracy, to which Austria is a party, against the. liberties of Europe: Italy being only one of the steps by which a great potentate is to mount to a continental throne. We confess that we are quite tumble to keep pace with a style of criticism which runs ahead of any of the facts upon which a sound judgment must be formed. We will, therefore, only examine some of the broadest facts which are already ascertained, in-order to justify the firm hope which we still entertain for the future of Italy.

The Emperor Napoleon is assailed for making peace before the proper time. This, reproach comes strangely from those who have urged our country to take no part in the recent conflict. What Tfigtit have we to condemn the terms of peace when we have had no share in earning the victory? We gave the Italians " sympathy "in words, and stopped there. We actually urged upon the French Emperor the claims of Italy,— •tuntil he seemed willing to take them up in a practical manner. At that moment, if we mistrusted any interference with the status quo, we ought to have made some sincere, straightforward, and practical objection ; bnt we only temporised officially and popularly only sneered. At first we objected to any encroachment upon Austria, or even to any peremptory summons; then we agreed to the Congress, but officially promised Austria oiir support in a manner which made her reckon upon our active good will; possibly, rendered over confident by the air of support, she committed herself to a summary aggression upon Piedmont, and then we officially repudiated her proceedings and left her to take the consequences alone. We have therefore no ground to stand upon as respects Italy, or France, or Austria ; we cannot claim to have any voice in the matter. Technically, we are shut out of court by our neglecting to put in an appearance at any stage when it was open to us to do so.

Morally, we may be answered, the Emperor Napoleon was bound to go on further. But why? Was France pledged to Italy by repeated expressions of sympathy, as we were ? By no means. Napoleon had expressed his sympathy with the Italians, bnt always in much more measured terms; aud if he has given to that sympathy any practical effect, he has gone far beyoud us, though we profess always to judge rather by deeds than words. Certainly we are the last who have the right to measure the amount of assistance which he gave as a free offering. Before the 7th of this month, the Emperor Napoleon had already sacrificed a great number of gallant and faithful soldiers. We hate the numbers, but for various reasons we hesitate to state them ; and at the present moment it will be enough taaote what is before the world, that gaerific of life was immense. The sacrifice of means lias been reckoned at fifty millions sterling. The progress was commensurate. Lombardy had been wrenched from Austria, and the remainder of her Italian possessions was threatened: the neutral Powers were urging mediation, and a point had been attained at which it seemed possible to recommence the process of freeing Italy and elevating her to the scale of oilier nations in Europe by peaceful means.. Balancing his sacrifice on the one bands against the renewed prospects of peaceful endeavor on the other side, the Emperor Napoleon invited the Austrian Emperor tp end the war and to reopen the Italian account on a new fooling. Again we say, that it does not lie in the mouth of the Englishmen to pretend that the Emperor Napoleon has not sacrificed enough,—-n-> t wasted enough of French blood and treasure nor attained, enough benefit fdr Italy.

Before we endeavor, even at this early stage, to form a species of roqgh estimate, of, the benefit attained for Italy-, let us note some rather remarkable circumstances characterising the new turn which.the treatment of the peninsula has taken. There is one consideration which probably rendered Austria more ready to grant a peace to the Emperor alone than she would have been if the neutral Powers had appeared in the discussion. None of the other three Powers of Europe are Roman Catholic. Russia represents the Greek Church ; Prussia rujgs (*y.,er. a mixed population, h,u.t the Lu.tbe.ran element; is decjjdely in the ascendant; Eo^laud Is resolutely and positively protestan£ " If Francis Joseph has relinquished an Italian province, and a power of dictation obtained by encroachment but long maintained, he has still made no concession which hands over the guardianship of Italy to any Protestant authority, The conditions which may have been thought favorable by an Austrian Emperor will probably be regretted by many statesman in the north, and west of Europe; but for onr own p.ari wa scarcely share in sflicli r^gret.v \f there % to Waiiy improvement in the JiiberaJ' "direction, religious as well as political, for the Italians, it is not, we conceive, to. be brought about feny t^o sydd^n intrpduction of any nt fawnulary, There are gom.e groiipds f«r doubting whether the genius of Protestantism, as it as been developed in the north and west of Europe is adapted to the inborn genius of Southern Italy: while, on the other hand, the Italians themselves, without any Lutheran revolt, by the simple principal of dividing temporal and spiritual jurisdiction, have actually commenced a reform which tends to enlarge and lijb@ra.lise tf|e Christian Church |n Italy without fhqse civil fejids, p,r those 1 certain £ea.ctipns, Vfli'ch an ordinary* PfOtegtaqtl' agitfttion m«st bave-pravoljed, - ■; ■ f - «■

'■" But let us so far ad we CAn from the information before vs i see whfat it is the Emperor Napoleon has actually obtained for Italy from her quondam master. The system as it is sketched out differs from that adumbrated in D'Azeglb's Note; but we beleive it di||er?}' frginjijllftt ske.tph than it dfiesf fr.oitf the^y^e^hitti^tq e^is^'ng. : Itfthe flrst tijiCb, %^m%et, altb9«g)l appears only as a provinoial authority, takiog bis place as one among many members ot a confederacy. In the second place that State in Italy wh.ich bus been mo§(; co^sp^cupfls ve^geiitiflg tta,%n opinion, co^stUqtiqnal Qovec n . raenti, f^ad patriotic 'ind«pe.fldfince r , is strengthened by ■fhe ac^isition of a populous and wealtjhy pr.OTi^ce. aeucieforward is nearly $*. WW

having not two but three gre»t continental provinces under her-orown, besides Savoy and Sardinia ; and the union of these provinces gives to each of them a decided accession of strength. In the third place; the Confederacy affords a legitimate, appropriate, and sufficient ground whereon the statesmanship of the whole peninsula can meet to discuss the interests and develop the power of " Italy." It is a platform, as our American friends would say, which offers new ground for the Italian patriot. Amongst hiany objects of the Italian reformers has been some plan toivramp the temporal power of the Pope, aud yet to retain his titular and moral dignity. * The states /of Rome are obviously swamped in the confederacy, but the dignity of the Pope is preserved, na.y, promoted, by making him Honorary President. The present Pope and his most brobable successor have both shown themselves most ready to adopt the idea and the labor ofreforms, could they be provided with a safe and legitimate ground. /The ground is made for them with the assistance of Italian statesmanship for every good they can - do, and a check from all Italy, should they deviate from the patriotic course.

We have here merely marshalled facts which are before our readers: those facts which are sufficient to v show that, the constitutional prospects of/Italy, the opportunities of her states-' manship, the scope for united and patriotic action, are all increased in the immediate future as compared with the immediate past; and it/ will be hard, indeed, if the nation which has produced a Poerino, a Capponi, D.Azeglio, and a Cavour, should be unable to utilize the new machinery placed ready to hand of its public men. ;

The Californian Fruit Market.—The great abundance and variety of fruit with which our market is at present supplied, affords, says the Stockton Argus, an indication of what our fanners and horticulturists may accomplish iv fruit growing, by even an ordinary bestowal of attention to the business. Our city gardens supply the greater portion of the fruit consumed, and are made profitable by high prices realised from crops produced in advance of our neighbors. There will undoubtedly be a large surplus of peaches the present season, and it becomes necessary that some means should be adopted for their preservation. We jure «jnformed that initiatory steps have already been, taken on the part of several of our largest pro ducers, to put up in cans, fresh and preserved Californian peaches for our home market, thus cutting off to some extent the importation of an article hitherto made profitable to shippers in the east by reason of a large consumption and the paying prices realised by importers. In former times, the peach growers of Chilli found in California their most profitable market for the disposition of dried fruits; and we still continue to import largely from a country less highly favored in the adaptation of the soil t) the growth of the peach than that of our own State. Our farmers should direct their attention to the statistics of importation—'observe the average market prices realised for dried fruits during the past three years—and they will not long hesitate as to the most profitable means of disposing of their surplus crops. We learn of a sale of four hundred pounds of pea-, ches on Tuesday, at the nominal jpriceof 6 cents per pound ; and, from the same orchard in which they were produced,1 several tons are for disposal at the same' price. Peach growers, in * fow years hence, will fiwd the yield increased to such an extent as may compel them to make a virtue of necessity i^ the. preservation of their crops by such, meaiia as will be ascertained to prove m.ost provable. Not only is California destiued to become the •• granary of the world," but she will yet supply the Eastern markets with fruit, weeks in advance of the harvest on the Atlantic side. When railroad facilities afford our fruit-growers the opportunity, they will demonstrate the fact to our trans-continental friends that we live in a " fast" country iv more senses than one, by the introduction into their markets of fresh Californian peaches ;n advance of the crops produced even in, mope southern latitudes than we inhabit, We shall shortly give on estimate^ cojnpjted by a gentleman cflnversant with'full-growing in our city; of the extent to which this branch of agricultural industry is carried on in our midst. There are but few in our city who devote attention to fruit-rising with a view to its pecuniary profit; but the surplus yearly increasing compels them to place it iv market. It is with pleasure tha.l we note a spirit among our largest pr^djupeKS; to make this surplus profitable a,odj w,s trust that we shall soqn, lia\je «$. occasion to call upon fruit-igtow^ on, th^, Atlantic side to supply us* w,ith tt»at|which, wi have within our own resources.

Assaying the Precious Metals.—The term " carat" or " karat" originally designated an Aby3Bninian bean. Being very uniform in size, undergoing scarcely any loss by drying, they came to be U9ed as the Btanda,r<\ 9^ weight in Africa for gold, and in Jndia ; fyx diamonds Each carat wag $v^s iq,t,q,4^ g^ips. Of whiqb 74aren8^Jy v eqjaal t t b 72 grainy troy. This system,of/cam(^an3. grajhUs still used in.the valuation of diamonds. But in the case of gold', the term carat impliea, hot so much any actual weight a| 4 fractional division, on which go. la make a unit. Twenty-four carats fine expresses the unity of pure gold, and signifies, not the specific: weight of any given mass, but only that, in the 24 imaginary parts into which it may ba supposed to be divided, there is no, alloy. The gold assayer takes bis, unit or integer 6or 12 grains troy. This small quantity is most convenient for purpose :o$ a>say, and these particular nnmbgrs are used for convenience o( . calculation. 6 or 12 grains ia c^lledj By'tii'e English assayer, an assay pbutfd, and is by hiw* divided into 24 carats, and each carat again into' quarters and six* teenthi. Th^aesayer of silver takes 18 to 36 grains' troyfor his assay pound, and divides it into 12 ounces, each ounce into 20 pennyweights— making, for the silver wnfty poundj 480 divisions or reports, ityd'% gold assay pound, 384 report^ M ft e Eum? t&>Wfan of-the assay pouVq 1 for' gold is fluent fys; theEn«li ß i.; in i^je English ;?)!«-' tetm; carat expresses no given weight, out merely degrees of fineness, of which twentyfour indicate- purity. Tfte ca,rat is sub4mdf4 into quarters, and these again, lota eighths, making to ea,ch (ff^t pa^ts, $3$ ofwh^?eppe#pure^old, . '

Au intelligent correspondent in the Sydney Empire has suggested the establishment of the settlement of Port Essington by the Government, a$ a uecesaity prising out r of tjie proposed t^egwhic connexion, with England \ia the {udian Awbi^l^Q.